Lisa Deborah Fowler (also Shaw) is the ex-wife of Mark Fowler and mother of Louise Mitchell who is fathered by the East End bad boy Phil Mitchell.
Lisa is instrumental in one of EastEnders most highly publicised and anticipated storylines, dubbed Who Shot Phil? in 2001, where she guns down her former partner Phil Mitchell. Executive Producer Louise Berridge axed the character in 2002 after four years, but brought her back temporarily in 2003 on two occasions. Bryan Kirkwood brought the character back for a single episode on 5 August 2010. Sean O'Connor brought Lisa back in 2017 due to her daughter Louise being taken to hospital after suffering really bad burns.
Storylines
1998–2010
Lisa arrives in Albert Square in December 1998 as the new assistant market inspector to Michael Rose. Although Michael is a family man, he and Lisa begin an affair and, aged 28, she loses her virginity to him. but Michael ultimately decides to stay with his wife and the affair ends. Lisa makes friends with Melanie Healy and moves in with Mark Fowler. Although Mark has feelings for her, Lisa does not notice, having a fling with Gianni di Marco and a relationship with Phil Mitchell, resulting in Lisa's pregnancy. Phil asks her to have an abortion but she refuses so he warms to the idea of having a baby and asks her to move in. She miscarries and blames Phil. He responds initially with abuse but eventually offers his support. Lisa loses her job when Ian Beale reports her for being absent, making her dependent on Phil. He refuses to allow her to get another job so she loses her confidence and becomes jealous of Phil's ex-wife, Kathy Mitchell and son Ben Mitchell, hiding letters and a video from them. This irritates Phil and he has sex with Melanie when she is drunk and upset, following a fight with Lisa on Christmas Day. Regretting this, Melanie agrees not to tell Lisa but then does when Lisa reveals that she intends to get pregnant again. Devastated, Lisa ends her relationship with Phil and moves in with Mark, keeping her pregnancy a secret. She eventually forgives Melanie but their friendship is damaged.
Phil continues to belittle Lisa, and on Melanie and Steve Owen's wedding night, Phil humiliates her by saying he never loved her and suggests Melanie give her tips in the bedroom. In revenge, Lisa steals a gun from the e20 nightclub and shoots Phil. He survives and confronts her after leaving hospital but realises that he drove her to it and frames his enemy Dan Sullivan instead. Wanting to keep Phil away from her child, Lisa and Mark marry, claiming that he is the baby's father. Everyone believes it and their romance becomes real. On 5 November 2001 Lisa gives birth to baby Louise, assisted by Phil, not Mark, and Lisa admits to Phil's girlfriend, Sharon Watts, that Phil is Louise's father. Sharon tells Phil that Louise is his daughter and Phil consequently demands contact with Louise and forces them to accept he will be part of Louise's life. Despite initial animosity, when Lisa sees Phil with Louise, old feelings resurface and she eventually moves back in with him. However, it is Louise that Phil really wants and Lisa soon realises, emigrating with Louise to Portugal. Phil finds her and brings Louise home after blackmailing Lisa with the knowledge that she shot him, and persuading her that she is unstable and an unfit mother. Phil leaves her standing on the edge of a cliff, and she is subsequently presumed dead. On Phil's wedding day to Kate Morton, Lisa returns to reclaim her daughter and kill Phil. She forms plans to shoot him again but Den Watts persuades her to let him do it. He and his son, Dennis Rickman, frame Phil for armed robbery and Lisa reclaims custody when he is imprisoned. She leaves the Square with Louise.
Several years later, Jack Branning, an ex-policeman, tells Phil that Lisa and Louise are living in South East London. After seeing Louise call another man 'daddy', Phil decides that she is better off with Lisa. Two years later, Louise arrives alone in Walford, saying that Lisa has gone on holiday but not returned. Louise is taken into care but when Phil discovers this, he has a DNA test to prove Louise is his daughter and gains custody of her. Later that year, Phil is visited by a social worker, Derek Evans, who says that Lisa has made an application to see Louise. Phil does not want Lisa to have contact with Louise, but Phil's mother Peggy Mitchell takes her to see Lisa on Louise's request. Peggy slaps Lisa for abandoning her daughter, and Lisa reveals she had a breakdown and thought Louise might be better off without her, but the neighbour she left Louise with promised to look after her. Lisa worries that Phil might hurt Louise physically after Phil has hit Peggy. Peggy is unable to assure her that this will not happen. Peggy allows Louise to stay with Lisa permanently as long as Phil can visit her. Phil steals the social worker's bag to get Lisa's address, and drives there to confront her but finds the house abandoned and empty.
Return & Mental Health (2017)
After months of bullying, at her school prom, Louise Mitchell, is pushed into lit candles by Alexandra D'Costa. She is taken to hospital and Lisa arrives. Lisa is found at a hotel with Louise, who is going mental. Lisa hits Phil Mitchell with the telephone and the holder. Phil is instantly knocked out and Lisa goes even more mental when Louise is handed to ambulance staff.
2018
Louise mentioned on-screen that Lisa would not be present for Melanie Owen's wedding to Ray Kelly as she had been sectioned.
